--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The 'World Wide Web', as people quaintly…" description: "\"The 'World Wide Web', as people quaintly called the Internet in 1996, was more or less made up of text. There was no YouTube. There was no Facebook. Th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/michelle-dean-7717_internet_the-world-wide-web-as-people-quaintly-ca_1613148.jpg" --- # The 'World Wide Web', as people quaintly called the… ![“The 'World Wide Web', as people quaintly called the Internet in 1996, was more or less made up of text. There was no YouTube. There was no Facebook. There was, however, Usenet, a loose and difficult-to-navigate assortment of message boards.” quote by Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/michelle-dean-7717_internet_the-world-wide-web-as-people-quaintly-ca_1613148.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/michelle-dean-7717_internet_the-world-wide-web-as-people-quaintly-ca_1613148.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/michelle-dean-7717_internet_the-world-wide-web-as-people-quaintly-ca_1613148.jpg) > “The 'World Wide Web', as people quaintly called the Internet in 1996, was more or less made up of text. There was no YouTube. There was no Facebook. There was, however, Usenet, a loose and difficult-to-navigate assortment of message boards.” [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early Internet was text‑centric, lacking modern multimedia platforms. **In simple terms:** Internet was mostly text. Key Takeaway Recognize how tech evolves. Themes technology media history Mood nostalgic informative Type historical observational When to use this quote - online research - digital archiving - content creation Key Concepts digital communication platform evolution Questions to Reflect On - What would early users think of today’s media? - How does platform change affect information spread? A Different Perspective Limited to text, missing visual context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Called Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-internet-438695/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Internet 1996](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet-1996-6152688/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Usenet Loose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/usenet-loose-6152689/) [Web People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/web-people-3609918/) [Wide Web](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wide-web-393908/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Youtube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youtube/) ## Related quotes > [What we did not imagine was a Web of people, but a Web of documents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-dougherty/what-we-did-not-imagine-was-a-web-of-people-but-a-web-of-documents/) [Dale Dougherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-dougherty/) > [I remember when I first started putting things on the web and people were writing about it. I totally didn't keep up with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/i-remember-when-i-first-started-putting-things-on-the-web-and-people/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [It was really hard explaining the Web before people just got used to it because they didn't even have words like click and jump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/it-was-really-hard-explaining-the-web-before-people-just-got-used-to/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [Facebook is a CRM for people. The days of the anonymous web is over. People expect more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clara-shih/facebook-is-a-crm-for-people-the-days-of-the-anonymous-web-is-over/) [Clara Shih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clara-shih/) > [I first discovered YouTube while browsing the web, and then I found people just talking into their cameras. I never even knew it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-oakley/i-first-discovered-youtube-while-browsing-the-web-and-then-i-found-2/) [Tyler Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-oakley/) > [If you ever start to feel good about yourself... … they have this thing called the internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/if-you-ever-start-to-feel-good-about-yourself-they-have-this-thing/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [“The disease of our times is that we live on the surface. We’re like the Platte River, a mile wide and an inch deep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/the-disease-of-our-times-is-that-we-live-on-the-surface-we-re-like/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [Let me tell you a little story about a guy called Johnny. He's got the 2.25 kids, the washer, dryer, he's livin' the dream.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiga/let-me-tell-you-a-little-story-about-a-guy-called-johnny-he-s-got-the/) [Tiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiga/) > [In the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the government called for an Internet 'unfettered by Federal or State regulation.' The result of that fateful decision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajit-pai/in-the-telecommunications-act-of-1996-the-government-called-for-an/) [Ajit Pai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajit-pai/) > [This whole thing called the internet and all this other kind of stuff is about to go crazy. It's all going to change. But,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-foxx/this-whole-thing-called-the-internet-and-all-this-other-kind-of-stuff/) [Jamie Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-foxx/) > [“You know, the husband, John Bobbit, he formed a band after that whole thing. The Severed Parts," I tell him. "I'm pretty sure he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-harrington/you-know-the-husband-john-bobbit-he-formed-a-band-after-that-whole/) [Hannah Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-harrington/) > [The internet has no government, no constitution, no laws, no rights, no police, no courts. Don't talk about fairness or innocence, and don't talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-vixie/the-internet-has-no-government-no-constitution-no-laws-no-rights-no/) [Paul Vixie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-vixie/) > [As it turns out, there is a thing called the Internet, and stuff does go out there whether the suits like it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/as-it-turns-out-there-is-a-thing-called-the-internet-and-stuff-does/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [What's new is this amazingly efficient distribution system for stolen property called the Internet - and no one's gonna shut down the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/what-s-new-is-this-amazingly-efficient-distribution-system-for-stolen/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Have you heard of this new thing called the internet? It's giving people new expectations. It's allowing them to become their own expert. Knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-h-williams/have-you-heard-of-this-new-thing-called-the-internet-it-s-giving/) [Roy H. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-h-williams/) ## More by Michelle Dean > [There is an unfortunate side effect of being a person of few words: Sometimes people will assume you are less intelligent than you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/there-is-an-unfortunate-side-effect-of-being-a-person-of-few-words/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Poems are ideally suited, in some ways, to social media because they pack so much meaning into so little language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/poems-are-ideally-suited-in-some-ways-to-social-media-because-they/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [The diversity of perspective, the unwillingness to generalise - those are good traits in countries as they are in art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/the-diversity-of-perspective-the-unwillingness-to-generalise-those/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [When Paul Beatty's 'The Sellout' was first published in America in 2015, it was a small release. It got a rave review in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/when-paul-beatty-s-the-sellout-was-first-published-in-america-in-2015/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Hollywood versions of watershed moments in American history are generally high-minded shlock. 'JFK,' 'The People vs. Larry Flynt,' even 'Lincoln': all of these boast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/hollywood-versions-of-watershed-moments-in-american-history-are/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [I still think, most of the time, when people called shows like 'The Sopranos' or 'Deadwood' 'art' that they were correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/i-still-think-most-of-the-time-when-people-called-shows-like-the/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Saying that you spend Christmas alone is, to most middle-class Americans, akin to confessing a terminal illness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/saying-that-you-spend-christmas-alone-is-to-most-middle-class/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [There are many things to like about 'Mr. Robot,' the most ephemeral and yet memorable of them being the opening credits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/there-are-many-things-to-like-about-mr-robot-the-most-ephemeral-and/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Bad criticism recites rote arguments. The shame of rote arguments isn't just that they're cliches, though they are, but that they tend to hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/bad-criticism-recites-rote-arguments-the-shame-of-rote-arguments-isn/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Research can be a boon to a novelist - there are more things in heaven and Earth than can be dreamt of in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/research-can-be-a-boon-to-a-novelist-there-are-more-things-in-heaven/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [In an age where television is viewed as the best medium to 'tell stories,' narrative often stands in for substance on would-be prestige shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/in-an-age-where-television-is-viewed-as-the-best-medium-to-tell/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Writing a novel about feminism can be a thankless task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/writing-a-novel-about-feminism-can-be-a-thankless-task/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Feminists are disappointed in each other a lot, a natural side effect of being involved in a movement, which naturally implies that progress toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/feminists-are-disappointed-in-each-other-a-lot-a-natural-side-effect/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Hillbilly stereotypes have always made it easier for middle-class whites to presume that racism is the exclusive province of 'that kind' of person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/hillbilly-stereotypes-have-always-made-it-easier-for-middle-class/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [Book awards - in America, at least - are not like the Oscars. Awards are not cumulative, and in the case of something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/book-awards-in-america-at-least-are-not-like-the-oscars-awards-are/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) [Explore all 88 Michelle Dean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) ## More Internet quotes > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [I enjoy upsetting the right people. I love poking fun at earnest censors. I want to push the bounds of what can be said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/i-enjoy-upsetting-the-right-people-i-love-poking-fun-at-earnest/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [Though 'Fat City' was written long before cellphones or the Internet, its human apparatus is state of the art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunn/though-fat-city-was-written-long-before-cellphones-or-the-internet/) [Katherine Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunn/) > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [Note to self: If you do not know how to spell a big scary spiders name, DO NOT look it up on the internet.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-eisele/note-to-self-if-you-do-not-know-how-to-spell-a-big-scary-spiders-name/) [Becky Eisele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-eisele/) > [I remembered reading about a disease called Leishmaniasis, which matched my symptoms. I'd always thought it was an old wives' tale - a sand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fogle/i-remembered-reading-about-a-disease-called-leishmaniasis-which/) [Ben Fogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fogle/) > [The Internet lets thousands of total strangers collaborate to produce a truly hivelike result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-thompson/the-internet-lets-thousands-of-total-strangers-collaborate-to-produce/) [Clive Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-thompson/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I don't have faith in the Internet, I have faith in people connected through the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gilliam/i-don-t-have-faith-in-the-internet-i-have-faith-in-people-connected/) [Jim Gilliam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gilliam/) > [The internet is very democratizing in some ways, but it also has other effects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/the-internet-is-very-democratizing-in-some-ways-but-it-also-has-other/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [One of the Internet's highest-profile companies, Priceline once dreamed of transforming the way consumer goods are bought and sold by offering customers the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/one-of-the-internet-s-highest-profile-companies-priceline-once/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [Use Google Before Asking A Stupid Question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muskaan/use-google-before-asking-a-stupid-question/) [Muskaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muskaan/) > [“Some innovations just don’t attract enough economic or social demand: just as supersonic flight and manned space flight stagnated after the 1970s, today (in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-j-rees/some-innovations-just-don-t-attract-enough-economic-or-social-demand/) [Martin J. Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-j-rees/) > [Moveon is not a one-way broadcast media. The Internet, when used best, is a two-way media. We have a forum in which people can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-blades/moveon-is-not-a-one-way-broadcast-media-the-internet-when-used-best/) [Joan Blades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-blades/) [Browse all 9,049 Internet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The 'World Wide Web', as people quaintly called the Internet in 1996, was more or less made up of text. There was no YouTube. There was no Facebook. 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